Five Moments When Tony Stark was Completely Honest
by Bruce's Bat Cave
Summary: Five moments when Tony just couldn't hold it in any longer. The sarcasm he hid behind was on thin ice, and he had to snap.
1. Steve

**A/N: Okay, so, everyone needs a bit of Tony Angst in their lives right? Well, here's some of mine. I by far find Tony one of the most haunted and underlyingly dark character I've heard of. So, it's always a pleasure to write these sorts of things.**

**So, I present to you, Five moments when Tony expressed the truth.**

**First moment; Steve.**

It was two months following the Chatauri invasion. Captain Steve Rogers had moved into Stark Tower despite Tony's pleas due to SHIELD's orders. Over the time he had been there (which was approximantly a week) Tony had not spoken more than 6 words to the Captain (Steve had counted.) And Mr. Rogers was finally fed up with whatever had the billionaire's panties in a knot.

It was breakfast and only him and Tony were in the kitchen, basking in an awkward silence. Dr. Banner was still in the lab, refusing to leave so Tony had to come up here and get him some food.

Just before Stark left, Steve raised his question, "Tony?"

Tony Stark rolled his chocolate eyes and turned to face the Super Soldier, poorly masked annoyance dancing across his face. "Can I help you, Sleeping Beauty?"

Steeling his courage, Steve stood from his place at the kitchen's island and approached the genius. He didn't neccasarily know how to pose his question so he just blurted out "Why don't you like me?"

Ironman's eyes shot up clear to his hairline, a million distant questions fluttering about his head and the truth dancing on the tip of his tongue. But, as per usual, Tony took the easy way out. _Sarcasm. _

"What makes you think I don't like you, Jack Frost? I'll let you know I happen to love our time together." With a smile that resembled a sneer, he turned once again to make his way back to the labs.

Steve grabbed his arm.

"Listen, Mr. Stark, I don't know what I've done to upset you. Hell, I don't even know if I've done anything and you just don't like me. But, whatever I did, I apologize. You're father was a great man, and I-"

Cap realized he had over stepped his boundaries a moment too late when the look of hatred passed across Tony's face. Tony wasn't exactly sure how it happened, but he had reached his boiling point and the water was running over.

"My _father _Captain Rogers, has absolutely nothing to do with me. He was a vile old man" Tony was advancing on Steve, backing him into a corner. "I do not consider him my father. The only thing I am thankful for from him was his teaching me about the world. That I could _own _it and not let people like you bring me down."

"Tony, I-" Steve was flabbergasted when he was interupted again.

"You wanna know why I don't like you, Capsicle? Why I absolutely _loathe _you? It's because of my father. No matter how hard I tried, I was never good enough. _Because of you._" Stark's voice had taken on a dangerous quiet. "I was never as good as the super soldier, as the boy he thought would make the perfect son. I heard millions of stories about you growing up. Millions about how brave you are, how strong, how nice. About how someday, he wished I would grow up to be like _you_. But no matter what he said I couldn't live up to this god-like image he had built of you so I was always second best."

Tony screamed now- "YOU WEREN'T EVEN THERE. YOU WEREN'T THERE TO EVEN ATTEMPT TO TAKE MY PLACE BUT YOU DID WITH ABSOLUTELY NO WORK ON YOUR PART. YOU TOOK MY FATHER FROM ME AND I HADN'T EVEN MET YOU."

"So, I'm sorry Steve, if it seems like I'm less than fond of you." When Tony whipped around to stalk out of the kitchen he heard a quiet voice behind him.

"I had no idea."

Tony looked back over his shoulder, a smirk plastered on his face. "_You didn't know_. How convenient." Then he was gone.

A/N: I always imagined Tony just blowing up at Steve like that at some point because we all know he harbored a bit of jealously for the soldier.

Next up; Pepper.


	2. Pepper

Virginia Potts had been working for the infamous Tony Stark for almost a year and was more than accustomed to his self-destructive tendencies. So, when she walked into his lavish Malibu beach house to find him passed out on the living room floor - empty bottles of scotch strewn everywhere, she wasn't really surprised.

Pepper sighed, "Mr. Stark?" She said in the most professional voice she could muster up. He could be a Grade-A asshole but there were times when he wasn't that abysmal and Pepper hated to see him do this to himself.

When Pepper got absolutely no response, she became a bit worried.

"Jarvis?"

"Yes, Ms. Potts?" The AI was like Tony's best friend and was often there to help Pepper pick up his broken pieces.

"How late did he stay up and how much did he drink?" Pepper was dreading the answer.

"He drank about 5 bottles of scotch, Ms. He went to bed about an hour or so ago."

The red-head sighed, gazing down at her boss. She didn't want to wake him but she at least needed to get him up so she could guide him to his room.

She bent down next to him, shaking his arm slightly. When the only response she got was a loud snore, she tapped his face gently. Still nothing. Pepper resorted to more drastic measure and fully slapped the billionaire across the face.

Anthony Stark awoke with a start. Mumbling incoherently and with blurry vision he glared at his assistant.

_ "What?" _He demanded.

"We need to get you into bed." The level headed ginger replied.

Grumbling about it the whole time, Tony got to his feet, swaying once he did. Pepper wrapped an arm around his waist and walked slowly towards his room.

"Pepper?"

Virginia glanced at the playboy before looking back to their path, "Yes, Mr. Stark?"

"You're a great person."

Pepper blinked a bit glancing at her boss again. He had a child-like stupor about his gaze, all open but glazed over. Pepper shook her head, he was drunk. He didn't know what he was saying.

"Thank you, Mr. Stark." She thought he was done but he plowed on.

"You don't have to call me Mr. Stark, really. You know, you've treated me better than anyone ever has. Better than my father did. You're like, the only friend I have, ya' know?"

Pepper froze at the word friend. She didn't really consider Tony to be her friend, but her employer. She guessed that he had different thoughts. She kept quiet, wanting to hear more.

"I like you. I don't like a lot of people and even if I do, I don't really tell them. When I was a kid I was never really listened to, I kept trying to do things to get attention but they never worked out very well. I always felt like my voice was a shout into the oblivion. I like it that you listen."

They had reached his room and Pepper pulled back the sheets to his bed, settling him in. She had unshed tears in her eyes, she had never expected to see this side of the man she worked for.

Tony looked up at her with his child's eyes before he slept and said one last thing, "Just, don't stop listening, alright?" And then he was asleep.

Pepper let herself out, contemplating the information she was just handed down. One thing was now certain- she'd try her best to be a good friend to Tony.

A/N: Hello, everyone. Sorry it's been so long.

The next moment you'll be getting is Bruce's.


	3. Bruce

Seemingly meek not-so-little some of the time Bruce Banner has just about become used to his friend's tendencies. Anthony Stark was a mystery within himself to anyone; the press, business men and especially his ocassional lovers. But to Bruce, Tony was just Tony. The eccentric genius with a bout of manic depression and severe PTSD. Bruce knew all of this not because of Tony's willingness to gossip like school girls, but because of the tendencies he can't hide. The lost look in his eyes when someone even briefly mentions the city of New York or his tower residing in it, the hours of drinking in solitude in his lab under the excuse of doing 'genius things', when Bruce knows for a fact he just blasts Metallica and drinks himself into a stupour. No, Tony's not the most open of people so that's why it surprises him when the billionaire himself comes knocking at his guest room (or you could say penthouse) door, eyes filled to the brim with water and a glassy, far away look to accompany it.

Unsure of what to do, Bruce simply steps aside and allows Tony to enter. The creater of the famous Iron Man device would never voice it, but the silent gratitude in his eyes as he plops in the spinning chair at his buddy's desk is enough to say it all. Pulling up a chair, Bruce positions himself directly in front of his comrade and pries the bottle of tequila out of his hand, taking a swig and then placing it on the adjacent desk. They sit there for a few minutes, in a pregnant silence until Tony starts a speil that still leaves Bruce bothered to this day.

"You know, Brucey," Having been previously staring at the floor, Tony's bloodshot eyes flick up to that of his friend's before he takes a gulp of air and pile drives on. "I've been thinking. About what you said on the Helicarrier? Don't interrupt quite yet; big, green, and raging. I'm talking about the suicide thing. The whole 'getting low' thing.

"You may be wondering exactly _why _I've been thinking about this, but that's a story for my ears and possibly DUMEE's. My point is; when'd you know it was time to quit? To give up? See, I've been going over the aspects of your life and I calculate it was probably not very long after the Harlem incident. But then again, it brings me to the question of whether or not you tried _multiple _times. My brain, being the big and hulking brain it is- _hulking._" Tony pauses for a moment, giggling slightly manically into his hands.

"Get it? _Hulking?_ A.k.a, big? A.k.a, you? Anyways, my brain being the magnificent brain it is just keeps chasing ideas in circles like a puppy and it's tail. Hm, that's a nice metaphor. I may keep that one. Continuing on I'm just really thinking maybe it's time for me to try something similiar."

Tony leaned back in his chair, arms folded and one eyebrow raised- his posture suggested something like a business proposal but all Bruce could do was gawk and process his words.

"In all my- _Anothony Stark._" Bruce had begun to shake, tremors flowing through his body and he tried to calm his breathing while Tony just sat there, completely non-plussed.

"Listen here, you fucking imbecile. For a genius you're a goddamn idiot sometimes. Something _similar? _For one thing, you've been speiling to me about how that was the most dumb-assed decision my addmitedly intellectual self could have ever made and now you're considering something _similar? _I demand an explanation right this minute before I call Pepper and have you put on 24 hour suicide watch." Bruce was trying his best not to 'hulk out' but he could practically feel the metaphorical heat coming from his ears heating the room.

Like an invisible henchman opening the floodgates, the water that had been pooling for so long finally overflowed and ran down Tony's cheeks. One broken sob escaped him before he lunged. Bruce expecting him to lunge for the door or perhaps lunge at himself for some type of comfort- but no. Tony, being Tony, went straight for the liquor. Through his tears he managed a few hearty gulps before he calmed down just a bit.

"Brucey, Brucey. I don't have to be big and Godzilla-like to feel low. That shit in New York's been haunting me and I know you know it has, you don't get nearly enough credit for how observant you are. I can't sleep, my body rejects food, everywhere I go there's some damn reminder of my 'death'. Of that little hole in space. The one I fucking flew into to save all of these people's sorry asses. I honestly just don't know what to do anymore and for all the brains I have, I don't have a way to overcome this one. I've faced torture, multiple back stabbings, and quite a few 'He's the Father!' charges, mind you- but this has effected me more than I can process."

Stunned at the opening of the playboy's emotions, Bruce waits a minute, seeing if his friend might continue. But all Tony does is blink at him, get up, and exit the room. Shaking his head, Bruce follows his friend- he wasn't going to just let this go.


	4. Rhodey

Colonel James Rhodes didn't serve in the military for so long and not come out of it with a few tendencies. One of those being the uncanny ability to call bullshit on almost anything his best friend said. Rhodey had known Tony for much longer than anyone else and had seen both the worst and besst in him, but this right here, was new.

Anthony Stark was off on a rant; eyes wide like a doe. Sometimes he'd mumble and others he would be practically screaming in Rhodey's face. The most the Colonel had been able to pick up so far was Tony had some qualms about his suit.

Let's not even get started on his suit.

Rhodey had been tip-toeing over the subject ever since the birthday fiasco over a year ago. The Iron Man was the only thing to ever cause a rift between the two close friends and the Colonel tended to shy away from the subject, not up to fighting with Tony when they both stood on seperate, stable ground. It had caused many problems with Rhodey's higher-up's, but obviously Tony didn't care.

"You know why I got out of the weapons business, Rhodes?" Tony's gaze found his friend's and Rhodey snapped out of his reverie, cocking his head at the question.

"What the hell does that have to do with anything, Stark?" Rhodey had lost track of the conversation and fast.

Tony rolled his eyes and gave him the 'You're an idiot' look that always seemed to follow in his wake. "Everything. It means everything. I got out of the weapons business because I saw the destruction and death I caused. It was horrible, Rhodes. I'll tell you that. I stopped manufacturing weapons but then _I made myself the greatest one of all._"

Rhodey stopped short, pondering this. He made sense. His captivity had helped him see the danger he was causing but he came home and built the mother load of a weapon, one to outshine all the rest and then he _put it on himself. _

"You see, I did it because I was scared. I did it because I figured if I was bigger and badder than everyone else, no one could touch me. Or touch anyone around me. I may have stopped weapons in bulk but I still cause destruction and in that degree that makes me no more of a man than I was before I was captive. I haven't changed one damn bit and I'm so sick and tired of all of these reporters calling me a hero because I'm not. I'm _selfish. _I always have been, always will be." Tony took a deep breath and stared at James, waiting for some type of reply.

"Tony?" Rhodes sighed.

"Yeah?"

"Let's go get a drink."


End file.
